Archive for April, 2007

This may seem like a petty moratorium but then again isn’t most, if not all, of this site just petty rants? Yeah, I thought so too but it’s my site so just read on….

What is it with people, mostly guys, who feel the need to wear their shades INSIDE? This has been a rant of mine from way back in the 80’s so it’s not as if this just started or something. I’ll be walking around the mall shopping and see this dude walking towards me…..wearing his shades!!! What, is he on the run from the FBI or something? Is he some Vampire and can’t take those bright mall lights? OR, is he still stuck in that “It makes me look cool” mode? If so, he probably smoked in High School because, you know, that made you so cool. Sorry but it just cracks me up. Always has.

What’s worse is the office. I have watched people come in, walk over to their desk, drop their keys or purse on the desk, organize a few things and THEN take them off…after they made sure everyone saw them with the shades on.

The best though is when you combine the men in jewelry, shades on inside, smoking and wearing the bluetooth in their ear yapping away on the phone. Classic!!!

Unless you are a major celebrity who just might want to hide their identity, I call for a 25 moratorium on these “I am sooooooooo cool” types.

It’s about time we get a moratorium on Unions. I just got back from a visit to Detroit and once again was reminded why that city is going thru such tough times these days economically. The Unions are all but killing the big 3. It’s really sad. While foreign car companies make great cars and are profitable, the Detroit auto companies keep sliding down that hill toward disaster.

From the Teachers unions to auto unions to construction unions to even newspaper unions, growing up in Detroit I saw first hand the greed, audacity, thuggery and the intimidation that goes on in the Unions. Right now the big 3 in Detroit have been laying off union workers by the truck full and they are still bleeding money. Meanwhile Toyota and others are on a hiring spree to get more workers to make more cars. Non-Union workers that is. Toyota will go on, experts predict, in the next 10 years to be the biggest, most profitable of any auto maker. Why is that? Well, it’s because they don’t have to give into the Union thugs and pay people for wages at a far higher price then they are worth. The cost to build a car by Toyota is far less then the price to build a car by, say, GM. Unions do not change the productivity of workers. All they can do is stop the employer from paying less than what unions demand the employer pay.

Take a look at Teacher Unions. In New York state, it is all but impossible to fire a Teacher all due to unions. If you want to read in incredible story, read this commentary by John Stossel. Unions are one of the reasons I left the educational field. I was tired of being told what to teach and how to teach it. I was tired of other people deciding I am not happy with my pay. I was tired of being intimated to vote Democratic and to give money to something I did not believe in.

You have all seen the jokes about Union workers on TV. Even if they are in the middle of cutting a board, if the work day whistle blows, they are gone. Well, that is not far from the truth. Unions reward mediocrity. That is a simple fact. In my job, if my Boss tells me a job has to be done before I leave, that is what he means. In the Union world, I would get paid more for working less and not have to finish the job that day due to a long and incredibly hard to read contract.

If I don’t like my salary, I can ask for a raise, If I don’t get it, well, I can seek employment elsewhere. That is not so with Unions. They go into “Contract Negotiations”. If they don’t get what they want, they walk out and go on strike. Many times during that strike, they are still getting paid. If I walk out, I am fired which is exactly how it should be in a free market economy.

Violence is another fact of life with Unions. Anyone who saw the movie Hoffa knows what I am talking about. The violence in that movie was and still is fact. The Teamsters in fact are one of the most violent Unions out there. Look it up. I remember my neighbor who was in a construction Union telling my Dad how easy it would be to tear down the scaffolding at a non-union work site. A buddy of mine is a non-union contractor for an auto company in Detroit and he is snubbed all the time at work by the Union people and was intimidated at one point when he took on some overtime. During the Detroit Free Press strike of the 90’s, Union strikers would throw spikes in the road to damage the tires of cars of the “Scabs”. They also beat up a few of them.

I speak about unions a bit in my Wal-Mart post. What is the deal with unions trying to weasel their way into Wal-Mart? All that would do is give you worse service then you get now and their profits would take a huge dive. I don’t think they would go out of business (I know, that would be Heaven for most Liberals) but they would not be in a better position to take on their competition.

Have you seen what the Democrats are pushing for Unions now? Here’s the way things work now thanks to a great breakdown by Neal Boortz: “If workers want to form a union they first circulate a petition. If a majority of the workers sign the petition an election will be held. The petition is public. The election is not. A worker who does not particularly want to unionize might very well sign the petition so as not to incur the wrath of union-oriented coworkers. Then when the secret ballot comes along he will vote no.

Unions have been running into just this situation for years. A majority of workers will go along to get along by signing the petition. Then they vote “no” on the ballot and the union election fails. Union organizers know that the way around this is to eliminate the secret ballot.

Now the Democrats are going to try to accomplish that for them. The new legislation would call for a union to be formed simply upon the signing of a petition by a majority of the workers. No secret ballot. No opportunity for a worker to express their true feelings on the matter without fear of retribution. ”

Unions are outdated. At one time they were possibly needed but now, I really see no need for them in a free market economy. All one has to do it compare the successful companies without Unions to those who have them. The difference is clear.

Ok, now I see the Global Warming nuts want it both ways (figuratively speaking, of course). Here are a few examples:
1. Record number of hurricanes hit the US in 2005 = Global Warming. No Hurricanes hit the US in 2006 = Global Warming
2. Heat wave in January = Global Warming. Cold snap in April = Global Warming
3. Drought = Global Warming. Massive rain fall = Global Warming

You see, this is why they cannot be taken seriously.

Oh, yeah…speaking of Wackos, did you see where Sheryl Crow thinks we should conserve toilet paper now? Only use 1 square per restroom visit. Maybe 2 or 3 on those “pesky” occasions. I don’t know about you but I usually don’t have a square to spare. I can’t spare a square! I did like Rosie’s comment about it: “Have you seen my ass?”.

Even so, I still love her music. That is the conundrum I face many times. Having to look past their politics and just enjoy the music. It’s tough sometimes but if you enjoy it, you can get past it. Just shut-up and rock!

The question here is: When the “essence” of a band leaves, is it still THAT band. Take Lynyrd Skynyrd for example. They are still touring but when Ronnie Van Zant died back in the 70’s, that, for all intents and purposes, ended the band. The group that is touring now is only Lynyrd Skynyrd by name. The Marshall Tucker Band is another good example of this.

Van Halen is a puzzler. When Roth left in 1985, did Van Halen end? I would argue no. Roth AND Eddie Van Halen were both the essence of VH. I would even argue that Eddie more so than Roth was the true essence of the band with his signature guitar playing. If it was Eddie that left, then IMHO Van Halen would have ended. I think that VH with Sammy was just as much Van Halen as with Roth, just different.

Take Mick or Keith from the Stones and you no longer have The Rolling Stones. Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman make no difference. These days though, after over 40 yrs of rocking, take Charlie out and I don’t think you have the Rolling Stones anymore. Maybe 10 years ago you would have but not now.

J. Geils Band without Peter Wolf? Nope.

10,000 Maniacs without Natalie Merchant? No dice

Fleetwood Mac without Christine McVie? Sure.

ACDC without Bon Scott? Sure, esp when they got a guy who sounds exactly like him!

I do like how Queen did it. Of course Queen without Freddie Mercury is not really Queen but they wanted to get out and rock some more so they got Paul Rodgers from Bad Company and they called themselves Paul Rodgers + Queen. Not just Queen.

Anyway, how about a 30 year moratorium on bands that keep going without their essence?

I don’t know about you but I am disgusted that NBC choose to show and play that sicko’s “manifesto” he sent them. Instead of making a stand and stating that out of respect to the families AND to not give this scum the attention he wanted, we are not going to show this, they end up showing it adnausm This is the same network that decided to stop running the Imus simulcast due to the offensive remarks by Imus. This is the same network that does not show any video from 9/11 anymore (along with other networks) to be more sensitive to the families and not to have viewers have to see that tragedy again. What a joke. Not just NBC either. This goes for all the major networks that have this killer’s face plastered every where every time that they talk about the massacre. They are doing the exact same thing they did with Columbine. They are giving these bottom dwellers exactly what they wanted. Fame. NBC was one of the ones that passed on the whole OJ “How I would do it if I did it” interview thing, why not this?

I have so much respect for those stations that choose NOT to. Specifically, WCSX in Detroit. Their morning hosts JJ and Lynn announced on the air at 6:00am that they would not be running ANY of the audio from the killer’s “manifesto”. Good for them.

Let’s have a lifetime moratorium on sensationalism in the media and ban these idiots who play to it such as Lauer, Couric, Sawyer and the rest of their ilk.

“I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”

“[I]t is absolutely mind-boggling to see the opinions of Bradford Wiles…Wiles tells us that he didn’t feel safe with the hundreds of highly trained officers armed with high powered rifles encircling the building and protecting him. He even implies that he needed his sidearm to protect himself.”

“The writer would have us believe that a university campus, with tens of thousands of young people, is safer with everyone packing heat. Imagine the continual fear of students in that scenario. We’ve seen that fear here, and we don’t want to see it again…Guns don’t belong in classrooms. They never will. Virginia Tech has a very sound policy preventing same.”

-Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker after a bill was defeated in the General Assembly that would have given law abiding Students and Faculty the ability to carry a handgun on campus with a valid, state issued, concealed carry permit.

I don’t know why this was not my first moratorium. If there is any soapbox I stand tall and proud on, it is this one. I have been ranting and raving about this one since I was a teenager. Ties. What in the world made our society decide that wearing a piece of cloth tied tightly around your neck some how, in some way, makes you look “dressed up” or “professional“??? I just want to run out and scream that a tie does not a professional make!!!!

I mentioned I have hated ties since I was young. I remember so well every Sunday morning I had to “put on my best for God” and wear a tie (that, by the way, is another moratorium for another day… “Putting on your best for God”). I went to a private school for two years and every Friday we had chapel in the morning and had to wear a tie. We could take it off at noon though so how stupid is that? What…are you telling me that God left the school in the afternoon for a long weekend and that he wouldn’t see me without a tie after lunch??!? Please. That is limiting God to a time and place. It’s localizing worship to something you go to or leave. Wait! Sorry. I said that was for another moratorium for another time.

Anyway, I just don’t understand it. I have perhaps the best example of why tie wearing is so ludicrous. 11 years ago, at another company I worked for, men had to wear a tie every day (even though we had zero contact with outside customers or vendors). Now, my immediate manager was a tall, skinny guy. His suits were about 10 years old and didn’t fit. He always looked ready for a flood. His ties were worse. They were about 20 years old BUT he was within dress code. Now, who looked better: Dan in an out of style suit and tie that didn’t fit or me in a pair of nice khakis and a denim button down shirt and no tie? You put us side by side and I looked 10 times better (esp since I had discovered what an iron was and my poor boss was still using the old “dryer method” of getting wrinkles out of clothes). The problem was, I was not “professional” looking without a tie. So, I could keep what I had on, just had to throw a tie on. What I would do often was to wear one but loosen it and never button the top button or I would wear one of my Rolling Stones ties with it. You know, with the obnoxious tongue?

I am so very glad that more and more businesses are loosening up and going with the business professional dress code. I am not advocating an elimination of dress codes at work. Studies do show that people get more done as well as being less distracted by some chick with a pair of Daisey dukes on however you can accomplish this without forcing men to cut off their air flow by wearing a piece of cloth tied around their neck.

It has been over 3 years since I have put one on. I have gone to a few weddings and some work related gala’s and just wore an open dress shirt and a sport coat. It felt so liberating! I almost feel like Gloria Steinem burning her bra in protest!!!! Almost. It has probably been about 10 years or more since I wore one to church.

Oh, by the way, I am not saying you can’t wear one if you think it looks nice…just don’t tell me I am more dressed up with one on. If you want to be like Ren and wear one because you think you look “cool”, go right ahead. Just don’t come crying to me when you run out of Wisk for your “ring around the collar”.

Is it just me or do you remember back in the 70’s and 80’s that it took longer to get your food at a restaurant? I seem to remember many times seeing the steam rise from my Dad as he grumbled about so and so table getting their food before us and what was taking so long. It used to take sometimes 45 min. from the time you ordered to the time you got your food. Now, you are not even done with the appetizer when the salad comes out then you are not even half way thru the salad when the meal comes. They try to get you in and out so fast these days you don’t even have time to really savor it. I guess it is just our fast paced, microwave society but can’t we slow down a bit to enjoy our meal?

A moratorium on them? Yeah…right! Dream on!! No, no. This post is about the fake ones and how just about every chick has hers done these days! They are almost as common now as a tan or an ear peircing. I have worked with several chicks who have had them done. Some are so big on their tiny body that they look…well…deformed. Some of these chicks looked pretty fine before and I was really surprised they got them done. My question, if I were to ask, would be…why? You were hot before. What prompted you to go under the knife? These girls are just in their early 20’s for goodness sake!!

I guess I am just a bit puzzled as to why they feel the need to get them done. I mean, breasts are nice and all but there are so many other things about a woman that makes them beautiful. I can understand, sorta, if you are using them for your business as a stripper or something but if you work in an office and worse, you are married, then why are you getting them done? Is your husband saying “Hey Babe, I need me some bigger boobies! Here is $5000 now go get me some.”? That is like the husband of 20 years who goes out and gets a rug. Who is he trying to impress?

Anyway, this is a touchy moratorium. I mean, do I call for a 20 year moratorium on breast implants? Who in their right mind would call for that? Do I just call for sensible ones? Maybe so. Not sure but I do think there are too many happening out there.

To end though, I will relate a story. I once met a woman with big ones about 10 years ago. She was 72HH. That was her bra size. She was semi famous and had been on Jerry Springer. She was funny looking but the closer you got, the worse it got. After about 20 min, she just looked wrong. She never looked sexy in the least. She actually held a large coffee can with them with no hands. They were HUGE. She really belonged in some circus freak show. Now, THAT I am willing to call an end to permanently.